Palynology of late Oligocene Pomahaka Estuarine Bed sediments, Waikoikoi, Southland, New Zealand

Abstract

Pollen and spore assemblages of Duntroonian (late Oligocene) age from Pomahaka Estuarine Bed sediments, Southland, indicate that the climate was humid and cool to warm temperate, supporting forest dominated by brassi beech and gymnosperms. Warmth-demanding taxa, including Scaevola and Caesalpinia, grew in specialised coastal habitats and others, adapted to damp conditions, grew on marshes removed from any tidal influence. One new genus, Suprapollis, is erected to accommodate small, prolate, tricolporate pollen with a suprareticulum and another, Poluspissusites Salard-Cheboldaeff is emended. Seven new species are described, viz. Bombapollis bectorii, Liliacidites perioratus, Palaeocoprosmadites zelandiae, Poluspissusites ramus (Scaevola) , Rhoipites exiguus, R. rimulatus, and Suprapollis variabilis. In addition, Margocolporites vanwijhei Germeraad, Hopping et Muller (Caesalpinia), Myrtaceidites verrucosus Partridge, Perfotricolpites digitatus Gonzalez Guzmán, and Proteacidites pseudomoides Stover are either recorded or illustrated from New Zealand for the first time.